Northeast
Jill Biden spoke with Melania Trump following Pennsylvania rally shooting
First lady Jill Biden spoke with former first lady Melania Trump in the wake of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Details of their conversation, which was first reported by NBC News, were not immediately available. Fox News confirms that the conversation happened on Sunday afternoon.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of a devastating change,” Melania Trump said in a statement earlier Sunday. “I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.”
President Biden spoke with the former president on Saturday night following the shooting, a White House spokesperson told Fox News.
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First lady Jill Biden, left, reportedly spoke by phone with former first lady Melania Trump in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. (AP/Susan Walsh/Alon Skuy/Getty Images)
The former president suffered injuries to his ear after the shooting, appearing with blood on his face. He was discharged from Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh late Saturday night.
Later, former President Trump told the New York Post in an interview that his call with Biden was “fine” and “very nice.”
BIDEN SAYS POLITICS MUST NEVER BE ‘A LITERAL BATTLEFIELD’ OR ‘KILLING FIELD’ IN POST-TRUMP SHOOTING ADDRESS
Republican candidate former President Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
President Biden then addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday night, saying the attempted assassination of former President Trump is forcing Americans to “take a step back” and calling on all sides to “lower the temperature in our politics.”
“My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,” Biden said. “Do remember, while we may disagree, we are not enemies. We’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together.”
President Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, July 14, 2024 about the assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
The incident “calls on all of us to take a step back, take stock of where we are,” he added.
Fox News’ Pat Ward contributed to this report.
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The Maine nonprofit Defend Our Health is taking on the role of watchdog to make sure companies and stores are not selling products that are now banned in Maine because they contain toxic “forever chemicals.”
As of Jan. 1, Maine joined Minnesota as the first states to ban thousands of everyday products containing toxic PFAS chemicals.
The new ban includes children’s toys, cosmetics, cookware, and cleaning products. It also includes reusable water bottles, upholstery, clothing, and feminine products.
The National Institute of Health says even trace amounts of PFAS have been linked to low birth weights, compromised immune systems, cancer, and other adverse health effects.
Cookware in a store (WGME)
Defend Our Health says so far, most stores in Maine are complying with the law.
“We’ve seen a lot of the physical retailers complying with the ban. We have seen, for example, the PFAS-containing cookware being pulled from the shelves,” said Emily Carey Perez de Alejo, with Defend Our Health.
It is also not allowed in Maine to sell and ship banned products online to people in Maine like frying pans coated with PFAS.
Defend Our Health says a lot of online retailers have marked PFAS products not deliverable to Maine, while others have tried to comply, but missed a few products.
“From some retailers we have seen a wide array of PFAS-containing cookware still available for delivery to Maine,” Carey Perez de Alejo said. “So, we’ve reached out to the state to report some of these violators. We’re going to be reaching out to the companies. Hopefully, it’s just an oversight and they will be taking action to correct and come into compliance.”
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says it will be reviewing the information received from Defend Our Health.
The Safer Chemicals Program manager says the Maine DEP will investigate to ensure no banned products are being sold in Maine, either in stores or online.
Massachusetts
State fire marshal warns Mass. bars, restaurants against sparklers after deadly Swiss blaze – The Boston Globe
Massachusetts fire officials are warning bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices pose a serious fire risk and are illegal to use without professional licensing, following a deadly New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland that killed 40 people.
State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine sent a notice Tuesday to businesses across the state reminding them that sparklers — including so-called “cold spark” pyrotechnics often marketed for celebrations — are prohibited unless businesses have the required licensing, certification, and permits, according to a statement from Davine’s office.
“This includes small sparklers that have been sold as novelties or party favors to accompany champagne bottles, which are believed to have caused the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 40 lives,” Davine said in the statement.
The warning comes after investigators said sparklers likely contributed to a New Year’s Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, that injured more than 100 people in addition to the dozens killed.
The notice was distributed to local licensing authorities by the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and shared with restaurant owners statewide by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, Davine said.
Separately, the state Department of Fire Services issued a notice to a Florida-based company, King of Sparklers LLC, after sparklers it allegedly sold online were recovered by Fall River fire inspectors at a local establishment, the fire marshal’s office said. Officials said shipping such products into the state violates state law and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Code.
Fire officials said sparklers burn at temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and throw off sparks capable of igniting decorations, furnishings, and other flammable materials. Even after they appear extinguished, sparklers can remain hot enough to start fires, officials said.
Davine pointed to a 2022 incident in Dracut, where the improper disposal of illegal sparklers sparked a three-alarm fire that displaced nine residents.
Sparklers are classified as fireworks under state law, meaning their possession, sale, and use require professional licensing and certification, the Department of Fire Services said.
Davine said the tragedy in Switzerland echoed memories of the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., which killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others. The fire prompted sweeping safety reforms in Rhode Island as well as Massachusetts.
The Rhode Island fire was sparked during a concert when a band’s pyrotechnics ignited the sound-proofing foam near the stage, and the flames licked their way up the wall. It took a moment for the crowd to realize what was happening, but within 90 seconds after the fire ignited people stampeded toward the front entrance and were crushed, the Globe reported.
“The tragic fire in Switzerland has a chilling similarity to the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which led to numerous safety reforms in Massachusetts bars and clubs,” Davine said in the statement Tuesday. “We just want to help these businesses keep their patrons and staff safe.”
Rhode Island State Fire Marshal Tim McLaughlin also recalled the Station nightclub fire in the wake of the Swiss blaze.
“It’s almost eerie to think about it — the similarities between the two,” McLaughlin told WPRI-TV this week. “It was something I never thought I’d see again.”
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
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